More on Rome/ New Emperors

More on Rome

• Octavian was related to Caesar
• Caesar was the first emperor
• Jesus began his ministry at age 30
• Paul was an important part of Jesus being known in other places by spreading the good news to people all over the place
• He writes letters to many of those he spoke to- these epistles are a part of the New Testament 
• If it wasn't for Paul, Jesus wouldn't be as known as he is now

Most influential people in history

• Muhammad
• Sir Issac Newton
• Jesus
• Buddha
• Confucius
• St. Paul of Tarsus

Caligula - Good start...

• He was Tiberius' adopted grandson and great nephew (putting him next in line for emperor)
• He started off well: granting bonuses to those in the military, declaring treason trials a thing of the past, and made government spending a matter of a public record
• All in all, the first 7 months of Caligula's reign was "completely blissful"

Bad finish for Caligula

• He began to fight w/ the senate
• He claimed to be a god, and had statues displayed in many places - including the Jewish temple in Jerusalem 
• Other examples of cruelty and insanity: he slept with other men's wives and bragged about it, indulged in too much spending and sex, and even tried to make his horse a consul and a priest 
• Assassinated by his own aides, AD 41 (aged 28)

Next in Line: Claudius

• Ostracized by his family because of his disabilities, he was the last adult male in his family when Caligula was killed
• He rose to the occasion: he conquered Britain; he built roads, canals, and aqueducts, he renovated the Circus Maximus 
• He had an awful marriage to Messalina, who was quite often unfaithful to him, even plotting to seize power for her lover Silius through a coup - so Claudius had them killed. 

Meanwhile - Religious troubles

• Christianity and Judaism: monotheistic
• Romans had many gods, plus at times the emperor was viewed as a god
• AD 66: a group of Jews called the Zealots tried to rebel, but Roman troops put them down and burned their temple
• The Western Wall today is the holiest of all Jewish shrines
• Half a million Jews died in the rebellion 
• Romans were harsh toward those who would not worship the emperor. (especially Christians)
• Despite all this, Christians grew quickly